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Full Idea
We perceive motion only as isolated points, and then infer it without actually seeing it.
Gist of Idea
We only see points in motion, and thereby infer movement
Source
Nicholas Rescher (Scepticism [1980], §112)
A Reaction
Note how writing suddenly becomes readable as you slow down on entering a railway station. Is that points suddenly becoming unified? This is an empiricist endorsement of Russell's 'at-at' account of motion.
Related Idea
Idea 4786 Russell's 'at-at' theory says motion is to be at the intervening points at the intervening instants [Russell, by Psillos]
| 10650 | In the military, persons are parts of parts of large units, but not parts of those large units [Rescher] |
| 22626 | Process philosophy insists that processes are not inferior in being to substances [Rescher] |
| 20365 | We only see points in motion, and thereby infer movement [Rescher] |